Filming of 'Grown Ups 2' on Aspen Road, Swampscott

Tuesday

Aug 28, 2012 at 12:01 AMAug 28, 2012 at 4:37 AM

There’s no business like Hollywood’s ‘slow’ business

Charlene Peters / cpeters@wickedlocal.com

More than the need to witness the filming of the sequel to “Grown Ups,” it was the roundup of the hottest comedians in the “Grown Ups 2” cast that captured the attention of residents throughout Marblehead and Swampscott, as well as their friends and families from out of town.

“Grown Ups,” released in 2010, is a comedy involving a handful of friends and basketball teammates who reunite after their middle school coach dies. The setting is on a New England lake where the old friends used to party. Thirty years later, what surfaces when the group gets back together is the personal baggage of each, which presents the conflict and subsequent plot of the film to which Adam Sandler co-wrote and starred.

Sandler’s role as Hollywood agent Lenny Feder addresses the reality that his children and wife, Roxanne (played by Salma Hayek Pinault), have no connection to nature and its simplest offerings. The struggle to get his children away from video games and get outside and enjoy nature adds to the comic element. Sandler’s co-stars included Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Steve Buscemi and Rob Schneider, who will all return for the sequel, when the friends reunite once more. Sandler’s wife, Jackie, and daughters Sadie and Sunny starred in “Grown Ups” and will star in the sequel as well.

It may surprise many in the movie business that “Grown Ups” is making a comeback, especially when critics gave it not-so-great reviews. Variety reported that it “delivers precious few laughs for the sheer volume of comedy talent on offer.”

But it seems Sandler wanted to come out and play with his friends again, this time in Marblehead and Swampscott, where the full cast and crew spent four months and over $4 million renting space, services, homes and boosting local businesses. A large group of children and adults alike were cast as extras, adding to their summer income, as well as revealing the truth about the glamour, or lack thereof, in filming. In fact, a day on the set is akin to watching and waiting for a pot of water to boil.

Filming a movie is slow business. But witnessing a day of filming, one can get caught up in the mystique, quickly forgetting that 10 hours have passed in the process of gawking at celebrities that come out to say hello in between scenes.

Such was the case one summer day in early July on Aspen Road in Swampscott. One lucky couple received a payout to transform their home into Chris Rock’s grandmother’s home, where the scene with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock began around 10 a.m. on a Friday. Other neighbors received payouts for the mere use of a driveway, where crews set up film equipment. Roads were closed off to the public the night before and day of filming, but not many neighbors seemed to care. They wanted to watch, and turning the corner on Millet Road, where Aspen and Arbutus roads connect, the crowds began to gather.

Adam Sandler stood front and center in the street, as did Peter Dante, who is cast in many of Sandler’s films. In the middle of the street, to the left of the school bus that Sandler eventually drives for a scene, a table is filled with doughnuts topped with Fruit Loops and other sugary toppings. It’s surprising to see how many stars end up grabbing a doughnut, including Maya Rudolph, who looks like anyone’s neighbor off-screen. Actually, everyone looks like a neighbor and it’s hard to tell which ones are the stars — until you witness the filming. As the natural light changes, so do the white bounce boards that are set up along the road (and some are the size of a road).

It is hot and humid outside, and even hotter inside the school bus where two stand-ins for Sandler and Rock sit until the staging is set. Just before Sandler and Rock show up in a black SUV, a large fan is set up inside the crowded bus of extras to cool things off a bit. Rehearsals begin before it is announced, “Quiet on the set. And rolling.”

Filming begins. The bystanders are instructed to be silent. A UPS deliveryman holds a package, waiting for those words, “Cut!” before he can run across the road to deliver a package (not a scene in the film). This is the momentum for the day. Those who are walking by are told to stay put until hearing the announcement, “That’s a wrap. Let’s take a look,” a message that also sends Sandler under a nearby tent, where he replays the scene to decide how to change it up on the next take.

As clear as day, everyone in the surrounding area can hear the playback, adding to the excitement sparked by Hollywood stars crossing the street to pose for pictures, sign autographs and chat.

Rock is having some trouble with his lines and markers (“Honey, I’m gonna take a ride to work with Adam” — blooper!). Sandler is rolling with it, at ease and on spot with each scene — a true professional. And as it turns out, he’s the most genuinely friendly and gracious guest in the two towns. He’s the one apt to buy lemonade from a child selling on the sidewalk, and he’s more than happy to donate to children working for a cause. He’s funny before scenes, stretching his vocal cords with his signature maniacal sounds, and he’s generous to those star-struck on the sidewalk. “How’s everyone doing here,” he’ll ask before adding, “Can I do anything for you?”

This is the time he spends signing autographs, talking to individuals and posing for pictures. In fact, even though he’s called back on set, he announces to the crowd that he’s got time for a few more pictures.

Hours pass as they wrap up one scene and prepare for the next. The gawking crowd only multiplies. The bus scene is set.

Chris Rock: “I hear you’ve got a new job.”

“Cut.” He’s up one step too much. Retake. And repeat. Over and over again, the scene is shot and tweaked, shot and tweaked until finally, they wrap.

Come dinnertime, a loud cacophony of screams from teenage girls is heard nearby as Taylor Lautner arrives. Lautner, cast as Frat Boy Andy, is better known as Jacob Black in the “Twilight” saga.

For residents, visitors and business owners, the excitement of the experience far outweighed the inconvenience of having a film shot in the community. Especially when you ran into someone like Goldie Hawn, who was spotted at Jack Tar in Marblehead, where she enjoyed dinner with her grandchildren, daughter-in-law and son, Oliver Hudson, who also stars in “Grown Ups 2,” slated for release in July 2013.